HARTFORD — Connecticut Democrats are hoping to make Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, the state's second political casualty of the Iraq war.

Westport Democrat Diane Farrell was in high spirits Wednesday saying that Ned Lamont's primary victory is a strong signal that incumbents who support President Bush's Iraq war are in trouble.

"I think the result was a bellwether for change and a repudiation of the Bush administration," Farrell said. "People are upset with the status quo and want change."

With a record 43 percent of eligible Democrats voting Tuesday, Lamont defeated three-term incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman 52 percent to 48 percent in a campaign that focused on his support of the Iraq war.

Exit polls conducted by CBS News and The New York Times showed that 78 percent of voters disapproved of the decision to go to war. Many of Lamont's voters opposed the war and Lieberman's closeness with the Bush administration.

Shays has supported the war and has endorsed Lieberman.

"Joe Lieberman is my friend. I have tremendous respect for him. I'm sorry he lost the primary, but unlike my opponent, I look forward to voting for him in the general election," he said.

Farrell had endorsed Lieberman for the primary but is now backing Lamont in the general election.

She does not expect that a three-way race — with Lieberman out campaigning — will help Shays in his bid for re-election.

"It is fair to say Democrats have a common foe in a

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Republican-controlled Congress and George Bush," Farrell said.

Lieberman said that he will continue to support the Democrats running for Congress even though they now support Lamont.

"It is a little bit harder, but I have endorsed the three of them," he said. Lieberman endorsed Joe Courtney over Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2, and Chris Murphy over Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-5.

Lieberman does not believe his campaign will drain resources or interest away from the Democratic challengers.

"I think that so far they are doing pretty well," he said.

But Tom Swan, campaign manager for Lamont, said that Lieberman's campaign would drain resources from the three House challengers.

Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, D-Ill., who heads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said having Lieberman as a third-party candidate would be a good thing for Farrell's campaign.

"Incumbents are bearing the brunt of the public's frustration and anger and their disgruntlement with the status quo. Change is what November is going to be about," Emmanuel said.